Little Kids playing Jenga
by honey-x-combgirl
Summary: Set after Ryan breaks it off with Marissa in the third season. Marissa logs into a chat line, to find someone that she didn’t ever expect to be on the chat line. Dedicated to Dominique ChinoCoop81 and how talking in the internet changed my life.


**A/N- I had this idea for awhile now, but I've been gone, and I wanted to finish my other story. But while I was thinking about it, I had to get it off my chest and write it down. One last thing, this is a ONE SHOT! Please don't ask me to update or add to it, because I'm not. This story is dedicated to Dominique, and how talking on the computer to you has changed my life.**

**Summery: Set after Ryan breaks it off with Marissa in the third season. Marissa logs into a chat line, to find someone that she didn't ever expect to be on the chat line.**

_Forever-young has logged on_

Would have flashed on Marissa Coopers computer screen as she pressed on the login button for the chat line. She didn't know why she liked to go on these things. But sometimes, if she found the right person, she could talk to them. She could talk to these people without them knowing who she was, or what she looked like. It made her more confidant when people couldn't see her face. She liked using her screen name, for people wouldn't know who she was, where she was from, or the tangled mess that seemed to come with her life.

After Ryan broke up with her, is when she started to come onto the chat lines. She was careful not to give her real name, or where she lived. She didn't really talk to anyone on the chat line but one person, _Hallelujah. _She didn't know why, but this one person, that she didn't know, made such an impact on her life.

The only reason she clicked on the screen name _Hallelujah_, when she had so many else to choose from, was because that was the song in the Model Home that night with Ryan. Oh yes, everything about her evolved around Ryan. She wasn't obsessed with him or anything. She didn't stock him or anything like that. Why her life evolved Ryan in her mind, was because she missed him so much, and how Volchuck kept coming around, and how much she needed him now. Yes, she messed up big time hanging around Johnny. If she were to go back and pick again, no thought, she would have picked Ryan. Not because Johnny was dead now, and she had nobody, but she would have picked Ryan because when you don't have him, you realize how much you want him. For her it wasn't even how much she wanted him, it was how she couldn't get over him, how much she tried. She tried to with Volchuck, but that was bad news right there, so she broke it off.

With anyone else, just didn't feel the same. She knew why, but she didn't want to admit it. She wouldn't admit it. She had to be strong. She looked strong on the outside, but was slowly crumbling in the inside. Inside it was little kids playing Jenga, and one little kid was slowly taking away the bottom, slowly crumbling, silently waiting to destruct. That's how it always was when Ryan wasn't there, to hold up the blocks from completely falling to the ground. That's why she needed someone to talk to, and if _Hallelujah, _an on-line person she didn't know, was all she had to talk to, she would talk to him, open heartedly.

Marissa clicked on the chat line he always went on, and hoped he was on. Wow her luck changed, he was on!

_Forever-young has started conversation to Hallelujah_

Forever-young: Hey!

Hallelujah: Hey

Forever-young: What's up?

Hallelujah: Nothing much, talking to you. What about you? Anything happen today?

Forever-young: No, nothing. Can I tell you something? About my Ex-boyfriend?

Hallelujah: Umm… I guess

Forever-young: I was hanging out with a guy, a lot, so it wasn't his fault. He asked me to pick between him or my guy friend. I picked my friend over my boyfriend. Then I regretted it, and stopped being friends with this guy. Then he died. I really miss my ex. I don't say it to anybody, but I still love him.

Hallelujah: Wow, we have more in common then we thought. That same thing happened to me. And I messed up to. I still love my ex, not the girl I just dumped, the first girl I met when I moved here.

Forever-young: Really?  
Marissa typed not believing this guy

Hallelujah: Yup

Forever-young: Anything new where you live? There's nothing here.

Hallelujah: I guess there's nothing to do all around the world.

Forever-young: Depends. Where do you live? I want an honest answer.

Hallelujah: Ok. But you have to tell me an honest answer.

Forever-young: I think I can manage to tell you where I live.

Hallelujah: Orange County, Newport

Marissa was speechless. This someone she'd been talking to all along, was someone she probably already new?

Hallelujah: Come on, where do you live?

Forever-young: Newport

Hallelujah: No seriously, where do you live?

Forever-young: What's your real name?

Hallelujah: Where do you live first?

Forever-young: I SAID YOUR NAME!

Hallelujah: Fine; Ryan Atwood

Forever-young: Ryan? Oh my gosh! You still love me, I'm the first girl you met!

Hallelujah: Marissa?

Forever-young: Ryan, meet me at the lifeguard stand.

Hallelujah: Be right there.

_Forever-young logged off_

All this time Marissa was talking to the man she loved, and she never knew it. But know she did and he said he still loved _her! She_ was the first one he met when he moved to Newport, so he still loved her. Marissa could start to feel the butterfly's in the pit of her stomach start to form, as she walked down the beach to the lifeguard stand.

She walked up the ramp, she saw Ryan's figure starting to get up, "No, stay down." Marissa said as she came to sit between his legs.

"I had no idea that was you on that thing." Ryan stated

"Me neither,"

"I've been thinking Marissa. And I was wrong to break up with you. I really miss you, I'm miserable without you, and I love you. I want to be together with you. I've been fighting it for along time now, and just needed Seth to help with the words." He paused and looked at her" Can we give it another try?"

"Good, I'd love too. I've been thinking too, and I was going to ask you the same thing. And I love you too." Marissa leaned up and gave him a sweet kiss to conceal it.

Inside Marissa was happier then she ever was in a long time. Inside, she could feel the little kids playing Jenga leave the bottom block along, and go for a higher and easier block. The tower of Jenga blocks where sturdy again, because Ryan was there to hold them up. Like he always should be, and would be.


End file.
